


Dear Santa, Define 'Nice' (2008)

by JennyB



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Christmas, First Kiss, First Time, M/M, Scheming, Secret Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-12-18
Updated: 2008-12-18
Packaged: 2018-02-13 00:45:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2130672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JennyB/pseuds/JennyB
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Seto and Bakura both want something very badly for Christmas.  As Seto becomes his reluctant teacher, can they both wind up happy?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

It was the first day of the winter break and only six until Christmas. Seto Kaiba had spent the majority of the day at the office, and would be working the next. However, he had promised Mokuba that he'd take the rest of the week off to do some 'Christmassy things' with him, vacationing through the weekend and returning on Monday to finish the last minute year end bullshit that always seemed to crop up. The last he'd heard, the younger Kaiba had some sort of agenda outlining activities he wanted to partake of. He sighed heavily as he leaned back in his seat, watching as the sky began to purple and darken. His thoughts drifted to the holiday, and he found that he had mixed feelings about the whole thing. On the one hand, Mokuba's enthusiasm was infectious, and he did enjoy spending time with his brother, and decorating their tree. And even though they were both somewhat lacking in the culinary arts, they did have fun making treats together. On the other, Christmas always left Seto feeling a bit empty once it was over. Mokuba would take off to play with his presents, and though he did offer to include the brunet, Seto never really had a whole lot of interest in watching his brother blow things up or drive myriad laps in a ridiculously hopped up race car.

No, now that he was nearly done high school, what he wanted was someone _he_ could spend time with. Someone who wasn't five years his junior. The problem was that he couldn't stand to be around most people. And those he _could_ , well, he wasn't interested in 'hanging out' and doing the other mundane shit they were wont to do on a routine basis. He managed to smirk a little. That wasn't _entirely_ true. There was _one_ he wanted to spend time with, and as for the rest, he was willing to tolerate their presence knowing that the whole group came as some sort of add-on package deal. Unfortunately, his own insecurities and his ability to alienate people without even trying had pretty much destroyed any chance for a relationship before they'd even started – especially considering how much of a bastard he'd always been to–

" –Joey!" They were driving past the school, and Seto saw the blond, Yami, Yugi, and the rest of the group standing around the flagpole. From the way Joey was animatedly flailing his hands, it was obvious he was upset about something. His curiosity getting the better of him, he hit the intercom. "Stop the car." Not bothering to wait for his driver, he slipped out, tugged on his gloves, and made his way over to where the others were. He didn't have to ask what had happened – one look at Bakura and it was blatantly obvious.

The white-haired spirit had his tongue well and truly frozen to the pole, and every time he moved a little, he would yelp a bit in pain. The others had varying responses to the tomb robber's predicament. Duke and Tristan were practically peeing themselves from laughing, Téa, Ryou, Yugi and Yami looked concerned, and Joey was shaking his head and ranting about how he'd told Bakura not to do it in the first place.

"Well, we can't just leave him here!" Téa said, hauling off and punching Duke in the arm when he replied with a tart, "Why not?"

"Well, I can give him a good pull, and he'll come free," Tristan said. "Probably hurt like a bitch, but that's what he gets for listening to Duke in the first place."

On hearing that, Bakura's eyes widened, and then narrowed to dangerous slits. "Don' oo 'uckin' dah!" he hissed. "I'll thlit oore thwoat!" This, of course, sent Tristan and Duke into fresh peals of laughter. After all, one could hardly take the threat seriously when the spirit was not only stuck to a flagpole, but also drooling copious amounts of saliva down the front of his parka every time he spoke.

Seto, who had been quietly observing for a few moments, huffed impatiently and rolled his eyes. "You're all morons," he muttered as he turned and headed back to his car.

"Hey, fuck you, Kaiba!" Joey called after him. "You're not much better to just up and walk away! At least we're _trying_ to figure out a way to–" The blond cut himself off, his mouth falling open in a surprised 'O' when he saw that the brunet _wasn't_ leaving, but that he'd simply gone to retrieve something from the limo.

A moment later, Seto returned, carrying a thermos and a Styrofoam cup. Ignoring the others, especially the raving protests from Bakura, he carefully poured some of the hot water down the pole. After a few seconds, he pressed a hand to the spirit's chest and pushed gently, smirking when his tongue seemed to simply come free, a little frostbitten, but none the worse for wear. He poured a bit of the remaining water into the cup and gave it to Bakura. "Drink that. I think you'll live." His smirk widened. "Unfortunately." 

The white-haired spirit grudgingly took the cup and sipped at it, all the while glowering at Tristan and Duke while Ryou offered his thanks to the tall brunet. 

"It was nothing," Seto said in response, and noting the murderous look on the tomb robber's face, he had a pretty good idea how things had gone down. With a slight nod to the rest, he turned on his heel and headed back to his car, climbing into the limo and telling his driver to go.

After a few more sips, Bakura could no longer contain his anger, and throwing the cup down, he launched himself at Tristan and Duke, tackling the green-eyed male to the ground, and then yanking the fin-haired teen down with them. "You sons of bitches!" he shouted as he alternated between shoving handfuls of snow down their jackets and rubbing it into their faces. "You fucking _knew_ that would happen, you assholes!"

Tristan sputtered out a mouthful of snow, and managed to push himself away from Bakura, grateful when Ryou stepped in to try to get the other under some degree of control. "We didn't think you'd actually do it! Hell, Joey even warned you not to! Don't blame us for your stupidity!"

Bakura let out a growl of rage as he was pulled off of Duke, and still looking ready to kill, he shouted, "I come from Egypt, you fucking retards! They don't _get_ snow there! How the fuck should I even be _remotely_ familiar with that?!"

Duke, who had managed to stagger to his feet and was in the process of shaking snow out of his coat, turned to the other. "Yeah, well..." He shrugged. "I'll get you some candy canes to eat while you recover. The mint will probably feel good on your tongue." He shivered a little, and not just from the cold. In hindsight, it probably wasn't the smartest idea to pull a prank on the tomb robber – he was lucky he’d only gotten snowed.

At that, Bakura stilled some and cocked his head to the side. He _did_ like presents, even if they were just small trinkets that someone thought to bring him. "All right. That will be acceptable. I will take them now."

"Now? I don't have them with me now!" He saw the dangerous look in the dark eyes, and he held up his hands. "Ok, ok, I'll go to the mall! Sheesh! I'll bring them by later."

"If you don't want to go, I'll get them," Joey offered. "I have to go to the mall anyway to mail my Christmas cards." He grinned sheepishly and ran his fingers through his hair. "Once again, I waited until almost the last minute."

Tristan draped an arm over his friend's shoulder. "Me and Duke'll come with you. It'll be fun."

* * *

Two hours later, Duke, Tristan and Joey knocked on Ryou's door. The blond looked beyond pissed off, but the other two were sniggering. "What on earth happened?" the soft-spoken teen asked as he admitted them and took their coats, inviting them into the living room.

Joey flopped down churlishly into a chair and glared at the other two. "We didn't get the fucking candy canes."

At that, Bakura sat up from where he'd been sprawled on the couch. "You'd better be joking," he said.

The blond shook his head. "No. I'd bought the stamps for my cards and had mailed them off, when this fucking idiot here–" He paused to jerk his thumb toward Tristan. "–Decided to start a fucking _brawl_ in the middle of the store!"

"Oh, it wasn't like that!" Tristan groused as he sat down on the floor at Joey's feet, and turning to Bakura and Ryou, he said, "There was one box of candy canes left on the shelf, and I'd picked it up, when this big, fat son of a bitch came out of nowhere, _hip checked_ me into one of the displays, and grabbed them. I told him that I had them first, and that maybe he'd be better off giving me back my candy and hitting the Slim Fast aisle. Porky said he had them first, and either way, what was I going to do about it. So I decked him."

Ryou's eyes went wide and he covered his mouth to hold in the gasp, while Bakura giggled delightedly.

"Tell them the rest," Joey said as he prodded his friend in the back with his knee. When Tristan just gave him an innocent smile, the blond frowned. "As soon as Tris' hit him, Fatty started screaming and shouting about suing, and the next thing we know, security's been called, the cops have been called, and the three of us are running our asses off into the darkness so that we don't wind up spending the night in jail. Fucking idiots!"

"But," Duke interjected, "fear not, for we didn't come away from our excursion empty handed." With that, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small tin, tossing it to Bakura.

"What the hell are peppermint nipples?" Bakura demanded as he read the label, ignoring the deep red that Ryou had turned.

Duke grinned. "Peppermint candies shaped like tits," he said in response. "They taste just like candy canes, but they're way more fun to suck."

The white-haired spirit arched a brow and opened the can, a wide grin lighting up his face as he picked one up and stuck it between his teeth, making a rather lewd show of licking it. "These are _great_!" he replied. "I can't wait until Téa's here next, eh Ryou? Maybe she'll let us try the real thing – for comparative purposes." He ignored the soft groan of embarrassment from the other, and the way Ryou turned about fifty different shades of crimson.

"Oh yeah," Duke said as he stretched out on the carpet, looking more like a pampered cat than a person. "You guys have that weird three-way thing going on. But hey, whatever frosts your cookies, I guess.

Ryou sputtered, utterly mortified, and Joey, taking pity on him, said, "Hey, I think it's cool that you guys will have someone to spend the holiday with. This is going to be my first year on my own, what with Dad being gone." His smile faded a little. "I can't believe it's been two months already – but none of us were surprised that it was cirrhosis that got him in the end. Especially when the stupid bastard refused to stop drinking or do anything he was told to." He shrugged a little. "Dad said he wasn't going to stop living just because of some disease. Up until the last couple of weeks, he was pretty happy." He cleared his throat and after a moment, he forced a smile back on his face. "Anyway, now that I'm settled in my new place, I wanted to do a Christmas Eve dinner, since you guys all have your own shit to do on Christmas day. It won't be anything super fancy, but I thought it'd be fun. Yugi, Yami and Téa all said they'd come."

Duke grinned. "Blondie's cooking? Wouldn't miss it!"

Tristan nodded in agreement. "I'll be there, too, Bud. And I'll even come over early and help you get stuff ready."

Ryou smiled. "That's very kind of you, Joey. Bakura and I would love to attend." His smile widened. "I just _love_ the Christmas holiday. Back in the UK, it was always such a good time with Mum and Dad, and Grams. I miss it, but really, I can't blame Dad for being gone as much as he is."

While the teens talked about the various traditions their families shared, and some of their best memories of the season, Bakura was unusually quiet. Silently, he sucked on his peppermint nipples and just listened. He really had no idea what all this Christmas stuff was about, and he'd never realized just how much Ryou loved the holiday. Though, to be fair, up until about six months ago, he'd never really given a shit about anything that had concerned his light. This definitely warranted more study.

After a while, Ryou invited the others to stay and help him set up his Christmas tree, and while Duke went to order pizza, the soft-spoken teen headed to the attic to retrieve the decorations. After returning with the boxes and setting up the base of the tree, Ryou handed Bakura a string of lights and asked him to untangle them for him so that he could affix them to the branches. 

The white-haired spirit arched a brow as he looked at the snaggle of wire and bulbs, and after popping the rest of his candy in his mouth, he turned it around in his hands, studying it curiously as he contemplated just where to begin. He pulled at one of the cords, pleased when he got about a foot free, but after about ten minutes, he was no further along, and if anything, he'd made an even bigger mess. Finally, with a growl, he pulled out a knife, intent on cutting the thing apart.

Ryou's eyes widened. "Bakura, no! If you do that, they won't work at all!" He managed to get the spirit to sheath the weapon, and he tried to explain to him that he needed to find an end and go from there. Leaving his other half to work, he turned back to unpacking ornaments. He started in surprise when the tomb robber suddenly swore a blue streak in Egyptian, got to his feet, almost lovingly draped the wad of lights on the tree, and then stormed off to his room. The sound of the door slamming a moment later told Ryou that he needed to leave the other be for a while, to let him cool down. The British teen sighed heavily. He had hoped that he could interest Bakura in the holiday, and that this could be something the two of them could share – especially considering how he was really Ryou's 'family' now. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be the case, and that filled him with sadness.

 

Meanwhile, up in his room, Bakura was lying on his bed and staring blankly at the ceiling. He needed help to understand this whole custom – and he knew just where to get it.


	2. Chapter Two

Seto was livid. It was an hour before he was scheduled to head home from to start his vacation, and he currently had a live turkey running around his office. What had possessed the delivery boy to turn it loose, he had no idea, but as soon as Animal Control arrived, he'd be speaking to him. Personally. "God _damn_ it!" he cursed when the bird flapped its wings and upended his briefcase onto the floor. He'd been unable to get too close to his desk, as every time he did, the turkey would charge him, threatening to peck him for his trouble. Still, he didn't want to leave the bird unsupervised, and so, for the past half an hour, he'd been at a sort of stalemate – not willing to leave, but unable to secure his work, either. Moving to his door, he called out impatiently to his secretary, "Where the _hell_ are those people from Animal Control?" 

"They assure me they'll be here within the half hour, Sir!" she called back, and a moment later, she groaned. "Oh no! Please, don't let him see that!"

"See _what_?" the brunet demanded, his tone glacial.

An employee from the local florist was standing at the secretary's desk with a cart, upon which was an _extremely_ large poinsettia plant. It was at least three feet tall, and some of the leaves had been bruised and crushed from having gone through doorways. "It's a special delivery for Seto Kaiba from Maximillion Pegasus."

"I don't want it," Seto growled, swearing again when he heard an aggressive gobble from the turkey.

"But, I can't take it back! I–"

The brunet snarled, "Then leave it on the damned desk. And unless you're capable of capturing a turkey, get the hell out of my building!" His gaze shifted to his secretary. "Call them again. Find out where they are!" With that, he slammed the door to his office, a loud crash echoing into the outer area a moment later.

The woman gave the delivery person a sympathetic smile as she signed the slip, and then she handed him a wrapped box of chocolates – she had an entire case of them at the ready for visitors and delivery people who came by. "Try to have a merry Christmas," she said softly, and then she reached for the phone. As she started to dial, she looked up when she saw Bakura walking by. "Sir, you can't go in there! The CEO is very busy and–"

"Oh, I'm sure he'll see me."

She paused, and hung up the phone. "Are you from Animal Control?"

The white-haired male grinned. "I can be." Ignoring her protests, he sauntered over to Seto's door and pushed it open. When he saw the usually unexcitable brunet seemingly at his wits end as he was trying to keep a large turkey from ruining his paperwork while simultaneously trying to avoid getting bitten in the ass, he couldn't help but laugh.

Seto glowered at the other when he saw him standing there, only to yelp a moment later as the turkey pecked him. "Unless you can help, get out," he snapped. "And remind me to kick the shit out of Devlin the next time I see him!" When he saw Bakura shrug and pull out a Bowie knife, the brunet growled. "Moron! I don't want it dead – and I don't need you making my office look like a Nightmare on Elm Street."

Heaving a very put upon sigh, Bakura put his knife away, and pushed off the wall. Moving near the turkey, he narrowed his eyes, seemingly unfazed when it flapped its wings aggressively at him. Taking another menacing step forward, he let out a feral growl, grinning proudly when the bird let out a squawk, twitched, and then fell over. Picking it up by a leg, he asked, "What do you want me to do with it now?"

The brunet, too, was momentarily stunned by what he had just witnessed, and shaking himself from his stupor, he quickly retrieved the packing crate the bird had come in. "Put it in here. Animal Control can take the whole damned thing away when they arrive." After shutting it back in its pen, Seto pushed the box out of his office. "When the people arrive to collect this creature, here it is. They can take it to a petting zoo, dump it in the wild, or whatever. I don't care – so long as it's not here when I leave. And Katharine? Arrange to have my office thoroughly cleaned." Closing his door again, and making a face at how the room smelled like a barn, he moved to his desk and started picking up his papers, repacking them in his briefcase. "Tell me again why you're here?"

"I need your help, Priest," Bakura said as he made himself quite comfortable in one of Seto's visitor's chairs, a bowl of candy in his lap. "I want you to teach me about this Christmas my other half is so pleased about."

At that, Seto paused and arched a brow. "Me? Don't you have all your little friends to help you with that, or worst case, they make these things called 'books'."

The spirit growled. "Ehh...I can't be bothered with doing research. And I don't want to ask them. I know they'd only make fun of me for asking, and I don't want to upset Ryou more by threatening to kill them." He grimaced as he ate a chocolate he didn't particularly care for, and after spitting it in his hand, he deposited it on the edge of the brunet's desk. "Besides, I'm doing this _for_ Ryou, so I don't want to ask him. I want it to be a surprise. And those braying fools couldn't keep a secret if their lives depended on it."

Seto saw the candy on the corner of his desk, and with a disgusted snort, he grabbed a tissue and dumped it into his trash basket, setting the bin down beside the spirit with a little more force than was necessary. "You're an idiot if you seriously believe I'm not going to make fun of you, too."

Bakura grinned. "Oh, I know you probably would. But I also think you're something of an asshole, so I really don't care what you would say."

A sour expression crossed the other's face. "You know, that's not really the best way to go about soliciting help from someone." Snorting, he closed his briefcase and then folded his arms as he gazed at the other. "What's in it for me? I'm not in the habit of doing favours."

"I caught your turkey," Bakura offered, and when he saw that the impassive expression remained, he rolled his eyes. "I don't know, what do you want?" The dark brown gaze turned thoughtful, and tapping his chin, a slow grin slowly peeled up the corners of his mouth. "I bet you helping me out would impress that blond bitch of yours. He couldn't stop his lips from flapping about how nice it was of you to come to my rescue yesterday." He knew that last part was bullshit, but it never hurt to pad one's hand to get what one wanted.

"Who said I wanted him?"

At that, the tomb robber laughed. "Come now, Priest. I've seen the way you look at him when you think no one's looking. Help me, and I'll help you, yes?" He popped another chocolate into his mouth and grinned wickedly.

"I don't trust you for a second, and I can't believe I'm even entertaining this..." Seto pinched the bridge of his nose, and sighed heavily. "Fine, all right. I will help you with this, but I will call in a favour at some later time of my choosing. And you'd better not bitch when I do. Agreed?"

Bakura's grin widened. "Agreed."

"Good. Now, tomorrow Mokuba invited your little group to go skating with us. Show up for that, and we'll talk."

* * *

The next afternoon was bright and sunny. The air was crisp, but it wasn't bitterly cold. All in all, it was a perfect day for skating. The Kaiba brothers had had the pond checked that morning, and the ice was thick enough for people to be on it except for one edge – and given that there were reeds and grasses sticking up through the ice, it wasn't a major concern as no one would be over there anyway. At Mokuba's insistence, they'd brought hot chocolate, cider and tea down to the shore, along with cookies, in case people got hungry and wanted a snack.

Yugi, Yami and the rest had arrived together, Duke driving one car and Tristan driving the other. As one big unit, they'd traipsed around back, the ever-stoic Roland trying not to shiver too much in his galoshes and duffle coat as he showed them the way. Once he'd left them in the brothers' capable hands, he'd turned and hurried back to the house in as dignified of a manner as he could muster.

Mokuba beamed as he greeted them all, a bit surprised to see Bakura with them, but happy nonetheless. After warning them to stay away from the southern edge of the pond, he grinned and then parked himself on one of the stone benches to put on his skates. The others followed suit, and soon, everyone was out on the ice and enjoying themselves.

Tristan and Joey were the best skaters of the group, as they both played on the school hockey team. And then there was Seto, who was just good at pretty much anything he did. Bakura and Yami were the worst, having had minimal exposure to winter and ice, and they had to be led around by their lights at first. Seto took a certain degree of pleasure in watching the former pharaoh struggle, and when the wild-haired spirit fell on his ass, he snickered softly, making a point of lazily turning and skating backwards, hands in his pockets, as he passed, before facing forward again and moving on, his trench coat billowing out behind him.

As the afternoon progressed, Yami and Bakura both improved to the point where they could move about on their own, and true to his word, Seto did have several conversations with the tomb robber about the Christmas holiday, some of the traditions, and what the point of it all was, both spiritual and secular. To his credit, Bakura was an apt pupil, listening to everything the brunet told him and asking fairly intelligent questions in return. Towards the end of the day, Seto handed the tomb robber a flash drive that had some information and links for him to look at, and when the spirit rolled his eyes and started to protest, the brunet informed him that he didn't have to read _every_ word, but to look at some of it and see if he had any specific questions he could answer the next day. Grumbling, he'd shoved it in the pocket of his jacket and moved off to find Ryou. Not five minutes later, there was a sharp cry, and when Seto looked up, he saw that Joey had gone through the ice at the shallow end of the pond, and that Bakura was skating by, looking innocent.

The brunet glowered at him, to which the spirit merely held up his hands in a 'not me' gesture. While the others stood there, watching, Seto sprang into action. "Mokuba, go to the house and get me a blanket. And tell Roland to get the fire in the main hall going. Big." Shrugging out of his coat, he knelt down on the ice and reached for a trembling hand, trying to pull the blond out of the chilly water. "Wheeler, I know it's cold, but you've got to slow your breathing." With a bit of effort, he managed to get the other back onto the ice, and once they'd backed away a safe distance, he wrapped him in his coat. "Come on, Joey. If you start hyperventilating, you're not going to do yourself any favours." Kneeling behind him, he wrapped his arms around him, trying to hold his coat closer to the shivering body. "Well? Someone want to get his fucking shoes?" he snapped at the others, smirking a little when Yugi and Téa sprung to action. Together, the two teens undid his skates and slipped his runners back on, by which time Mokuba had returned – also in boots – and carrying a quilt. "All right, Wheeler. On your feet." Passing the blond to his friends, he stood, quickly stripping off his own skates and putting his shoes on.

"Hang in there, pal," Tristan said. "I'll get you home."

"No," Seto said. "He stays where he is. We'll get him warmed up here. You're not going to drop him off at home by himself where there's no one around if he winds up going into shock or something. Besides, we have everything ready in the house – why move him unnecessarily? Don't be stupid."

The fin-haired brunet opened his mouth as if to argue, but on seeing Téa's scathing look, he promptly shut it. "Yeah, guess that makes sense," he muttered, and then, if only to get a cheap shot in, he added, "Don't be making him walk home to be a bastard Kai- _ow_!!" Téa had grabbed the stocky brunet by the ear and was pulling him over to the bench to change, hissing lowly about being a jackass.

Leaving his brother to see the others off, Seto bundled the violently shaking blond in the blanket and helped him toward the house. As they walked, the brunet finally said, "I know Mokuba told you to stay away from that side, Wheeler. And I know you're light, but you're not _that_ light."

"I d-did," Joey replied through chattering teeth. "It was the w-weirdest thing, K-Kaib'...One minute I w-was over by Y-Yug' and the others, th-then I was in the w-water. I'm r-real s-sorry."

At that, the taller teen's brow furrowed, and he thought back to Bakura's blasé attitude. He wouldn't put it past the crazy spirit to have pulled something like that just for shits and giggles. "Don't worry about it," he said quietly. "I didn't think you were that stupid, really." He gave Roland a nod when the older man caught the door for them, and toeing off his own shoes, he helped the blond to the bathroom and sat him down on the toilet. "I'll get you something to change into. In the meantime, get out of those wet clothes."

"K-kay..." As soon as the brunet had closed the door, he'd shrugged out of the blanket and Seto's coat, shivering anew as he stripped off his jacket, sweater, t-shirt, jeans, socks and underwear. Once he'd done so, and had wrapped himself back up in the blanket, he found that he did feel a little warmer. 

A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door, and then Seto opened it enough to deposit some clothing on the counter. "I'll wait for you out here," he said from his side, moving across the hall and leaning lightly against the wall while he waited. He smirked a little when the blond came out, noting how the sleep pants he wore were just a little too long, and he found the way Joey was bundled in the blanket somewhat endearing. "Come on; Roland has a fire going for you."

"M'kay," Joey murmured as he trotted along behind Seto. With a silent sigh of relief, he sat himself down in front of the fireplace, and when the brunet moved a tray with hot chocolate, some candied nuts, and a few cookies on it beside him, he gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks. ...And I'm sorry about your coat. I got it all wet."

The taller teen nodded. "The sugar and hot liquids will help warm you. And don't worry about it. Your clothes are already in the dryer, and by morning, my coat will be fine. If it's not, I do have others." He was quiet for a while as the smaller male had some of his treats, and then he asked, "You do feel all right, though?"

Joey smiled a little. "Yeah, much better, thanks." He wrapped his hands around the mug, and he could feel some heat returning to his cheeks, though he had a feeling that had as much to do with who was sitting beside him as with the cocoa and the fire. "I think that as soon as my stuff is dry, I'll be ok to head home."

"I think so, too," Seto replied quietly, trying to tamp down the disappointment he felt at that. Not that he wished any harm on the blond, but he was enjoying having the other there. ' _I'm glad you're all right,_ ' he thought to himself, but try as he might, he couldn't put voice to the words, and he silently cursed his inability to say something reassuring.

An awkward silence descended, and the brunet must have looked uncomfortable, because a few moments later, Joey said, "If you want me to go now, I can."

"What?" Seto's eyes widened slightly in surprise at that and he shook his head before quickly throwing his shields back in place. "No, Wheeler, you don't have to go just yet. This isn't bad."

The blond flushed a little, and quickly took a drink of his hot chocolate to hide his grin. He didn't say much more, and neither did the brunet; however, he did steal the occasional peek at the other, and unbeknownst to him, Seto was doing the same. Finally, after about an hour, Roland appeared and informed them that Joey's clothes were dry. Almost reluctantly, the blond gave his host a small smile and said, "Guess I'd better get my ass home, yeah? It's a pretty fair walk, even to my new place."

"I'll drive you," Seto said, and when the other started to protest, he silenced him with a frosty glare. "You just suffered a bout of mild hypothermia, and now you want to walk home in the cold? Are you sure Taylor's idiocy isn't contagious?"

Joey's mouth snapped shut at that, and he nodded stiffly, knowing that the brunet was right. "...All right." Without another word, he trailed after Roland to go change into his own clothes. Five minutes later, he was standing sheepishly in the front foyer while Seto put on his own coat, and together, they headed to the garage, climbing into the brunet's sapphire blue BMW X6. After telling the other where he lived, he silently watched out the passenger side window, losing himself in his own thoughts until they stopped in front of his building. "Thanks for the ride, Kaiba," he said as he unfastened his seatbelt. "And for...well, making sure I was ok."

"It's all right, Wheeler. Don't mention it."

The blond opened the door, and then he hesitated, worrying his lip for a moment before closing it again and turning to the other. "Hey, Kaiba? I know it's short notice, and probably not what you really want to be doing, but tomorrow, I'm taking part in this Christmas play down at St. Anne's. Think that maybe you and Mokuba would want to come?" He grinned sheepishly. "I'm playing the part of Balthasar, one of the wise men." He laughed a little when he saw the elegant arch of a brow. "I know, I know. I'd be better off being one of the wise guys."

"I didn't know you went to church," Seto said finally.

"Huh? Oh! I don't. I'm not religious at all. I just do this every year as a favour to Sister Laurel. She helped me get my shit together back when I was a punk. I owe her – if it wasn't for her giving a damn about me, I'd probably be in the same position as my old man, if not worse." He smiled a bit. "And it's not so bad, really."

The brunet couldn't help the soft smile that graced his features. He could understand Joey's wanting to do that. Hell, to this day, he and Mokuba still delivered gifts to the orphanage they'd grown up in at Christmas time, and he made considerable donations to them throughout the year. "We'll be there, Wheeler." Sapphire eyes sparkled impishly, and he gave the other a teasing grin. "If nothing else, I'll get to see how good of an actor you _really_ are!"


	3. Chapter Three

The play had certainly been interesting. When Seto and Mokuba had arrived, a very frantic looking Sister Laurel had come rushing over to them. "Oh thank God!" she breathed, and then with an almost pleading expression, she turned to the brunet. "I'm _so_ sorry to have to ask you this, Mr. Kaiba, but I'm desperate! The boy who was supposed to play the part of the Little Drummer Boy was rushed to the hospital this afternoon with appendicitis. Joey had mentioned you might be coming tonight, and I was wondering if I could _please_ borrow your brother to fill in?"

Seto glanced over at Mokuba, and then shrugged. "I don't have a problem with it. But I'm not going to make him; it's his choice."

Slate grey eyes widened. "You want me to be in the play? But I don't know how to play a drum, or what to say, or–"

Sister Laurel's expression softened, and she said gently, "It's a non-speaking role. You just walk on stage after the wise men arrive, look in on the manger, and then simply stand in the spotlight while the choir sings. You don't even have to play."

Mokuba looked up at his brother and then back at the kind-faced woman before he nodded. "All right. I'll do it." As he walked to the back with the nun, he glanced over at Seto once more. When he saw the way the sapphire eyes had softened and the almost smile on his brother's face, he knew he'd made the right choice.

Now alone, Seto found a seat, crossing his legs as he folded his arms across his lap. A few moments later, he felt a presence at his side, and glancing next to him, he saw an elderly lady with a cane looking around for a place to sit. The play was about to start, and the church was, surprisingly, very full. When no one made a move to give up their spot, the brunet got to his feet. "I prefer to stand," he said simply, and he moved toward the back. Granted, he could be an asshole at times, but in his mind, chivalry wasn't completely dead.

He found a place toward the back and leaned against the wall. There were a lot of people, and their proximity put him a bit on edge, but for the most part, he was all right in the crowd. Fortunately, once the pageant started, he found himself concentrating on that and not the fact that people were continually pressing against him. Seto wasn't a big fan of religion in general, though he did find the presentation enjoyable. The choir was phenomenal, and the fact that Joey and the other two wise men arrived on donkeys rather than camels amused him greatly. Mokuba had looked cute dressed as the Little Drummer Boy in his waif's robes and barefoot, and he'd seen the visible sigh of relief on his brother's face when the boy had finally spotted him in the crowd.

When the play ended, Seto moved out into the corridor, grateful to be out of the confined space and not caring that it was freezing due to the door being continually opened and closed. He found a quiet place against a wall and waited for his brother to find him. After twenty minutes or so, the raven-haired boy bounded over to him, followed closely by Joey. He gave the other a nod, and a small smile. "Wheeler."

The blond beamed at him. "I'm so glad you came, Kaib'. As I said to you yesterday, I know it probably isn't your thing, so really, it means a lot."

The brunet shrugged somewhat awkwardly. "It was nothing, really."

"Still, I – hang on a sec. Oi! Mrs. Creavey!" Excusing himself, he worked his way through the crowd, coming to a stop next to the elderly woman Seto had spoken to, and grinning as he chatted her up for a few minutes.

The brunet watched him, a brow arched in curiosity, and after a few minutes, he turned to Mokuba. He smiled when he saw that the boy still had the rosy patches of blush on his cheeks, and he made a mental note to get the kid into a bath before bed. "How about we go for something to drink, and maybe a piece of cake before we head home?"

The dark-haired boy's eyes lit up at that, and he grinned widely. "Really?" When he saw the nod, his grin, if possible, went even wider. "Can we go to Diana's? It's not too far from here. Please?"

"Sure, if that's what you want." The brunet fell silent when Joey came back over, and his brow furrowed a little when he saw the odd look the other was giving him. "What?"

The blond shook his head. "Nothing. Sorry." He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jacket, and shrugged. "Well, see you around. Thanks again, Kiddo. You were great." He looked up at the taller teen once more, and it looked like he wanted to say something else, but instead, he dropped his gaze and turned to walk away.

"Hey, Wheeler, wait a second." The brunet took a couple of steps toward the other and then asked, "Didn't your friends come to this thing tonight?"

Joey turned and shook his head. "Nah, they all had things to do and couldn't make it." He shrugged again and pasted a smile onto his face, but it didn't mask the disappointment in his eyes. "It was no big deal, really."

"I see. Well, if you don't have other plans, do you want to come for coffee with Mokuba and me?"

The boy's eyes widened when he heard his brother extend the invitation, and he looked up at his brother, and then flicked his gaze to the blond, silently hoping that the other wouldn't turn him down. Seto didn't invite anyone anywhere. _Ever_. At least, not without considerable coaxing and wheedling on his part. He saw the hesitation in the fair-haired male's expression, and he turned pleading eyes to him.

Joey's brow furrowed a little, the frown deepening when he saw the surprise on Mokuba's face. That meant the invitation had come from the brunet, and not from the raven-tressed imp via him. He couldn't stop the grin from sliding across his face when he finally noticed the puppy-dog expression, and with a nod, he said, "Sure, Kaib'. I'd like that."

He followed the Kaiba brothers out to the car, chuckling softly when Mokuba scampered into the back, leaving him the front seat. "I meant to tell you yesterday, this is a pretty sweet ride, though it's a far cry from those slick sports cars you usually drive." 

The brunet chuckled a little as he fastened his seatbelt and started the engine. "True. But this thing handles much better in the winter than those do." Putting the car in gear, he pulled out onto the street, and it wasn't long before they arrived at the café. "Choose what you want. Our treat," Seto said as he held the door for the other two, and he shook his head in amusement as his brother left a trail of fingerprints along the otherwise immaculate display case as he peered at the contents.

Joey was practically salivating as he eyed the fancy desserts. He'd passed by the place on numerous occasions, but he had never been able to justify spending the money on something like dessert. Finally, he settled on a triple chocolate mousse cake and a vanilla latté, grinning and nodding when Mokuba asked him if he'd trade a taste for a bite of his Creamsicle cake.

Seto placed their orders, getting a chai tea for himself, and then they found a table toward the back. Once their drinks and desserts had been delivered, the brunet couldn't help smirking. "When you rode out on that donkey, Wheeler, you looked like you were about to start laughing. So much for looking solemn and dignified."

The blond giggled. "Yeah, well, that's because I kept thinking of all the one liners that had been going through my head since Sister Laurel had told us about that. You know, I'm going to be riding my ass, I'd better hold on to my ass, watch my ass...how if I wanted to, I could kiss my own ass. Needless to say, she wasn't exactly impressed with my wit, so I'd been keeping them in, and I guess being out there brought them all to the surface."

"Mature," Seto replied, though he did smirk around the rim of his cup, chuckling softly when the blond gave him the finger. "Don't feel bad, Wheeler. You weren't the only one thinking it."

"You?" Joey asked, amber eyes widening slightly, and he giggled again when he saw the barely perceptible nod of his head. Grinning, he looked beyond impressed. He fell silent for a few minutes, and then he looked up at the brunet. "Hey, Kaiba?" The blond worried his lip nervously for a few seconds, and then said, "I'm having everyone over tomorrow for Christmas Eve dinner at my house. It's not going to be anything overly fancy, and my place isn't that shit hot, but I promise, I _can_ cook, and it'll be good. Do you and Mokuba want to come?"

Seto blinked, his gaze flicking to his brother, who was deliberately avoiding his eyes and making a show of licking frosting from his fork. ' _Brat,_ ' he thought to himself as he clenched his jaw. He met the anxious, golden eyes, and after a moment, he nodded stiffly. "Sure. We'll be there."

"Really?" The blond's face lit up as a gorgeous grin broke out over his face. "That's great! I'm planning to eat around five, so come then. And afterwards, you can stay for a bit. If you want to."

"That will work," Seto said after a minute. "I have some errands to run tomorrow, but that should be plenty of time. Is there anything you'd like us to bring?"

"Nah, just yourselves," Joey replied, and then he said, "But hey, if you're out at the mall, you might see Yugi and Gramps. They're going to be out there tomorrow – Gramps is dressing up as Santa, and they're going to be handing out presents to kids. I forget what it's for exactly, but it's some promotional thing. And Téa and Duke will be there, too, trying to raise money for charity. Sounds interesting, but no way am I going anywhere near the mall tomorrow. It's going to be a fucking nightmare!" He heard Mokuba giggle, and he blushed and apologized. "Sorry, Kaib'." He stuck his tongue out at the boy and with a teasing wink, he muttered, "And stop acting like it's the first time you've heard those words, yeah?"

Seto groaned. "Shit...that's _exactly_ where I need to go tomorrow." He sighed heavily. "Doesn't matter. It's not like I can put it off." He noticed that the other two had finished, and he reached for his coat. "Ready to go, then?" When he received nods in response, he slid out of his chair and slipped his trench coat on, sticking his hands in his pockets as they headed outside.

It was a short distance from the café to the car, and as they walked in the crisp, clear night air, they all noticed a shooting star streak across the sky. Mokuba oohed, and Joey grinned as he nudged the taller male. "Quick, make a wish. It's supposed to be good luck!"

At that, the brunet snorted. "I don't think so. I don't believe in wishes and all that other crap. Hell, if I _was_ going to wish for something, I'd probably have better luck writing to Santa Claus, given the time of year and all."

The blond perked up a little at hearing that. "Oh! Do you write letters to Santa?"

Seto let out a bark of laughter. "Of course not! It's a futile exercise and a waste of time. Besides, who the hell still does that at my age?"

Joey looked crestfallen when he heard that, though he did nod. "Yeah, I guess it is pretty stupid and babyish, isn't it?"

The brunet mentally smacked himself when he saw the look on the other's face, and clenching his jaw again, he unlocked the door to the car, and then slid behind the wheel. "I'm – it's not stupid, Wheeler." Turning the key, he brought the engine to life and then drove Joey home. The trip progressed in silence, and when they reached the blond's building, Seto offered him a small smile. "See you tomorrow, then?"

Joey nodded as he slipped out of the car. "Yeah, Kaib'. See you tomorrow. Thanks for everything tonight. And, uh...especially about that last thing." Offering a small, uncertain smile in return, he waved goodbye, and then headed inside.

Again, the drive home was a quiet one for Seto. Mokuba either didn't have much to say, or was asleep, and when he saw the peaceful figure in the backseat when they arrived at their house, he had his answer. Carefully, he got his brother into bed and washed off his face, and then headed down to his office. Booting up his computer, he decided to try and get a bit of work done. Since Mokuba was sleeping, it didn't count as not spending time with the boy.

He worked for about ten minutes, and then with a frustrated sigh, he turned off his laptop, threading his fingers through his hair in annoyance as he propped his elbows on the desktop. After a few seconds, his expression turned contemplative, and he rummaged in his desk drawer for a legal pad and a pen.

Smiling a little, he thought for a moment, and then began to write:

_Dear Santa Claus,_

_I know it's been a long time, but I think it's about time I wrote to you again. I wonder if you'll still remember me? My name is Seto Kaiba..._


	4. Chapter Four

Why he'd agreed to this, he'd never know, but on Christmas Eve morning, Seto found himself at the mall with Bakura, trying to help him pick out a present for Ryou. As they went up the escalator to the next level, the brunet was growing impatient. He didn't know the British teen _that_ well, but he was fairly certain that he wouldn't be interested in a collection of gang weapons, or his own set of lock picks. Grabbing the spirit's arm and forcibly dragging him past the hardware store that had a display of chainsaws in the front window, he growled irritably. "Let me get this straight. You care for Ryou. You're looking to impress him. And yet, you know jack shit about what he likes or where his interests lie. That's fucking pathetic."

Dark eyes narrowed at that. "Like you know your bitch any better!" he hissed.

"Actually, I do," Seto retorted, a smug smirk quirking his lips upward when that seemed to shock the other into silence.

After sputtering for a moment, Bakura found his voice. "Bullshit. What did you get him?"

The brunet shrugged. "I know he cares a great deal for his sister and he doesn't get to talk to her that often, so I got him two webcams – one for him and one for her. I've also arranged for them both to have a small account on the KaibaCorp network so that they can communicate that way. And something else, but that's really none of your business, and I really have no compulsion to tell you what it is."

Again, the spirit was left without a comeback, and he trudged sullenly along beside the brunet, scowling deeply. Suddenly, he brightened. "I know! I can get him some flavoured lubes and sex toys and handcuffs! If he knows I want to fuck him, he'll have to know I care! I mean, I _am_ taking the time to think about his needs, yeah?"

Seto rolled his eyes. "How noble of you. Your magnanimity is beyond reproach," he remarked dryly, and then he snorted derisively. "Christ, do I really have to think of everything for you?"

On hearing that, Bakura's eyes lit up a little. "Come on, Priest," he whined. "I'm still learning, and you _did_ say you'd help me. I'm sure that whatever you suggested, Ryou'd be all over. He tends to like the same sort of prissy shit as you."

"Flatterer," Seto drawled with no small amount of sarcasm. "Look, I'm not doing all the work for you. I–" He fell silent when he spied a jewellery store across the hall. "Why don't you get him some sort of pendant to wear that will remind him of you? You know, replace that eyesore he used to wear?"

The white-haired spirit's expression turned contemplative. "Brilliant," he purred, pleased enough by the idea to let the insult slide. "Let's go," he commanded as he grasped the other's wrist in an iron grip and forcibly dragged him across the hall.

In the end, Seto talked Bakura into an Inori key pendant, to symbolize both the spirit's past life as a tomb robber and the fact that Ryou had unlocked his heart. It was a sentimental gift, made even more so when the white-haired male had his name in Egyptian engraved on the back, but the brunet hadn't laughed at his choice. In fact, he'd been oddly quiet about the whole thing – save for a hissed, "Steal it and I'll kill you," to the other when the salesclerk's back was turned.

It wasn't long before Bakura's package was ready, though the spirit did still want to make a stop at the adult store. After all, as he informed the brunet, what was a major celebration without copious amounts of sex? Seto waited outside while the spirit made his purchases, lest anyone assume they were a couple, and after that, they were ready to leave. The brunet was beginning to feel a headache coming on, and he wanted to get home, have a cup of tea, and relax a little before he and Mokuba headed over to Joey's that night. On their way back to the car, they passed by the mall's Christmas stage, and it wasn't until he heard a familiar voice shout out, "Kaiba! Hey, Kaiba!" that he remembered that the blond's friends were working there. Turning toward the display, he saw Yugi and Yami, dressed in matching green and red elf outfits, the smaller of the two grinning madly and waving like an idiot. Seto offered a small nod of his head in acknowledgement to them, and was prepared to carry on, when something _else_ caught his eye. Arching a brow, he made his way to the front of the display, unsure of whether to laugh or be revolted.

Duke and Téa were also dressed as elves, but their costumes were much different from the ones Yugi and Yami wore. The dark-haired male was bare chested and in an open red leather vest, French-cuff wristlets and a collar with bowtie around his neck. Somehow, he'd managed to pour himself into a pair of revealing red leather pants, and a Santa cap was perched saucily on his head. Téa was in a very tight satin elf dress, her ample bosom nearly escaping the confines of the top, and the skirt cut _extremely_ short. She wore candy-cane striped thigh high stockings and red sequined stilettos, and the same style Santa cap on her head. In front of their booth was a sign that read, 'Kisses for Christmas'. For a cash contribution to the children's charity, a donor would receive a kiss from either Duke or Téa, and then a chocolate kiss and a miniature candy cane.

"You know, I wouldn't put it past you to solicit money for some form of sexual gratification, Devlin," Seto remarked, and he smirked as he looked at Duke, and then down at his money box. He had considerably less cash in his than the petite brunette beside him. "But then again, it looks like not too many people are _that_ interested in paying you to shove your tongue down their throat." As if to add insult to injury, he pulled out a hundred dollar bill and deposited it in Téa's bin, and then leaned over to give her a soft, lingering kiss, ignoring the way the girl's cheeks heated to a flaming red.

A sour expression settled on the green-eyed teen's face, and narrowing his eyes, he said, "There's no accounting for some people's taste." He caught sight of the moony expression Téa wore, and his scowl deepened. "Oh come _on_! It's not like it was _that_ good!" He snorted in disgust when the girl just shrugged a little and gave him a demure smile.

"Why, do you want one, too?" Seto asked with a smirk. "It'd probably be the best thing you've ever put your lips on."

"Fuck you, Kaiba," Duke retorted crossly.

"Oh, you offer that service, too?" the brunet countered, chuckling darkly when he was flipped off. Suddenly, there was a loud commotion behind them, effectively ending any further comment, and leaving the two teens to their kissing booth, he moved back to where Santa Solomon was, immediately wondering just what the hell Bakura had done this time.

He was notably surprised to find that the white-haired spirit had, miraculously, done nothing. The former tomb robber was still leaning on the railing where Seto had left him and silently devouring a candy cane, his dark eyes glinting with malicious amusement at the scene before him. Apparently, Solomon had only a few gifts left to distribute, and rather than let his grandfather shake them out of the five foot red Christmas stocking they'd been placed in, Yugi had gotten the brilliant idea to simply shimmy inside and retrieve them. Now, the small teen was keeled over on his side and trapped in a fun fur and marabou prison. Only his feet were visible sticking out the top, and he kicked slightly as he tried to free himself. Up to that point, Bakura had managed not to laugh.

That changed once Seto saw the horrified expression on the unflappable former pharaoh's face. He let out an amused bark of laughter, and the only thing that would have made it better would have been if Yugi and Yami's positions had been reversed. Still snickering, he managed to pull himself together, and he grabbed the now guffawing spirit by the back of his parka and tugged him toward the parking lot just as one of the mall employees rushed by him with a pair of scissors to try to cut Yugi free.

* * *

Tristan was helping Joey with the preparations for that night's dinner. He'd set the table when he'd first arrived, and was now doing more sitting around and tasting things than doing actual work. As he finished putting some olives on the pickle tray, he popped one in his mouth and then carried it over to the table. "It smells amazing, man. Where the hell did you learn to cook, anyway?"

The blond grinned. "I just sort of picked it up through trial and error. It's really not that hard, Tris'. But you've got to actually _try_ to cook something to learn. Microwaving a frozen dinner and making sandwiches doesn't count as 'cooking'."

The brunet shrugged as he snagged a green bean from the cutting board where his friend was trimming them. "I'll just marry someone who knows how to cook, and then it's problem solved."

Joey laughed a little. "That's really a _terrible_ plan." He swatted the other's hand when he went to sneak another bean. "And stay the fuck out of these! I want to have more than a dozen beans in the bowl, ass! Besides, you're going to be full before we even start!"

"Nah," Tristan replied as he patted his stomach. "I'm mostly hollow, I think. Seriously though, dude, do you have anything I can eat?"

The blond huffed. "Yeah...there's some leftover hamburger macaroni in the fridge if you want that."

"Score!" After he popped the container in the microwave, Tristan grinned. "By the way, your card came in the mail this morning."

Joey's eyes lit up at that, and he snickered. "Yeah? Did you like it?"

The microwave beeped, and Tristan grabbed a spoon from the drawer. "Well, it was _ok_ , but I was a bit disappointed, bro. Hell, it was dancing cats on the front and your standard 'Merry Christmas' on the inside." He shovelled a spoonful of macaroni into his mouth.

At that, Joey's eyes widened. "Oh, _shit_! I must have got the envelopes mixed up! Damn it; it was a good one, too."

Tristan arched a brow. "I wonder who you sent mine to?" He snickered a little. "Depending on who it was, that could be even funnier."

The blond smirked. "Yeah, real fucking funny." He threw the beans into a steamer and set it on the stove. "I just hope it wasn't my sister, or worse, my mother. Serenity'd just ask me why I'd send her that, but if Doris gets it, fuck, I'd never hear the end of that one!"

* * *

Seto had dropped Bakura off at his home and was just finishing wrapping the gifts they were going to bring to Joey's when he got a call from the front gate. "What is it?"

"Sir, there's a, uh... Mr. Bakura here and he's... _insisting_ on speaking with you."

The brunet pinched the bridge of his nose. "He hasn't done anything stupid yet, has he?" When he received his answer in the negative, he sighed. "Fine. Let him come, otherwise he's liable to burn the place down or something equally ridiculous." A couple of minutes later, there was an impatient knock on the front door, and he went to answer it. Opening it wide, he snapped, "When I dropped you off, I thought you said that you'd be just fine on your own. You were only going to be wrapping...your...gifts..." Seto cocked his head to the side and peered curiously at the other. "What the hell happened to you?"

Bakura was glowering at the brunet, but the effect was ruined by his appearance. He had wads of Scotch tape and packing tape stuck in varying degrees of adhesion to his hair and his clothes, and a gift tag dangled precariously from a snowy lock at the crown of his head. "I _was_ trying to wrap gifts. You never told me I'd be signing up for fucking origami to do so!"

The brunet stared at him in disbelief. "You really are useless," he remarked, and then he beckoned him toward the kitchen. Seto still had his own supplies out, and the counter provided a good working surface. "Well? Where are your things?"

The spirit dumped out the shopping bag he'd been carrying, though he lovingly righted one gift in particular. It _looked_ as though it had been stuffed into a garbage bag and rolled up, and every conceivable surface had been covered with packing tape. To complete the 'look', a large bow had been placed jauntily atop the 'box'.

"Are you joking?" Seto remarked as he picked the one up and snorted. "I've seen four year olds make a better attempt." Ignoring the warning growl from the other, he picked up the scissors and carefully cut the mess away, and then did the same to the remaining parcels. "Now pay attention. I'll show you how to do this. _You_ work on doing Ryou's, and I'll deal with the rest."

Twenty minutes later, there was a small pile of perfectly wrapped gifts, and one slightly mashed, but passable, box. When he saw them, Bakura grinned. "That wasn't so hard!"

"No, it isn't. When one approaches it as a rational human being rather than a raving imbecile, there isn't much to it." He slipped the presents back into the shopping bag and shoved it into Bakura's hands. "Now, if you're happy, get the hell out of my house. I still have things to do before we leave tonight, and your company is neither desirable nor welcome."

At that, Bakura blinked, and then deadpanned, "Well, you don't have to be a total bitch about it, Priest. It _is_ Christmas, after all. What about all that peace on earth and goodwill toward men?"

"My goodwill only extends so far. Especially where you're concerned." He turned the spirit around and steered him back to the door. "Later. Hopefully, _much_ later." After seeing his impromptu guest off the property, he grabbed the stack of mail off of the credenza and flipped through it, pausing when he saw that he'd received a Christmas card. He received several through his office at work, but never at his home. He studied it for a moment, and then smiled a little when he recognized the sloppy scrawl. He frowned slightly when he pulled it out of the envelope and saw a very well endowed yellow snowman on the front, and the words, 'Not exactly pure as the driven snow, are ya?' Opening it, the printed greeting read, 'So why don't you come over and suck on a frosty one?' The handwritten message read, 'Hey, Asshole! Count your cards. Go on, count them. This is the only one, isn't it you loser? Ha ha! Merry fucking Christmas!'

His frown deepening, Seto replaced the card in the envelope and set it down with the rest of his untouched mail, suddenly having second thoughts about attending the blond's soirée.

* * *

In the end, Mokuba had managed to drag his brother to Joey's home, citing the facts that they'd already committed to going, that he was looking forward to it, and that it was probably going to be fun. Of course, the brunet had countered by saying that he'd just drop the younger Kaiba off and then pick him up later, but he'd eventually ceded thanks to Mokuba's incessant and _effective_ whining. The raven-haired boy hadn't been able to get so much as a peep from his older sibling about what was bothering him, and he was a bit confused considering how much the two of them had been looking forward to going up until that afternoon. And after the stunt he'd pulled to get his brother to even _attend_ , he knew better than to push his luck when Seto had fallen into quiet brooding.

By the time everyone had arrived, there was still a half an hour or so before the meal. While the others engaged in lively conversation, the brunet had parked himself off to the side, legs crossed, arms folded across his body, and an expression on his face that just screamed, 'Fuck off'. Even Bakura gave him a wide berth, preferring instead to annoy Yami, much to Ryou's embarrassment. After about twenty minutes of sitting there, he got to his feet and went to the kitchen to see the blond. "Have Mokuba call me when he's ready to leave," he said coolly. "I shouldn't have agreed to this."

Joey's eyes widened a bit, and then narrowed as he scowled a little. "What the fuck is your problem anyway, Kaiba? Yesterday, you seemed almost keen on the idea, and today, you're sitting here like a giant ass and putting everyone on edge. Or was that the point?"

The brunet's expression turned glacial. "And what is _your_ problem, Wheeler?" he countered. "Yesterday, you acted like you wanted – I thought that – well, we seemed to be getting along well. And here, you were just playing a part. Is this payback for when we first met?"

The blond looked prepared to argue, but instead, he gave the other a confused frown. "...What?"

"Don't play stupid, Wheeler. Even though you didn't sign it, I'd recognize your illegible moron scratch anywhere."

"Sign...eh?" Suddenly, amber eyes went wide and the colour drained from Joey's face. "Oh... _shit_!" he whispered. " _You_ got it!"

"Yeah, I got it! Too bad it didn't come two days later, or you'd have managed to pull off your little prank."

Suddenly feeling ill, Joey shook his head rapidly. "No, no, you've got it wrong, Kaiba! You weren't supposed to get it at all! It was for Tristan! I fucked up and put yours in his envelope and his in yours."

An elegant brow arched at that. "You seriously expect me to believe that?"

"Look, I know it looks bad, but honest, that's what happened! Tris' and I have been sending each other cards for years, and we always try to see who can send the rudest, most insulting one. This morning, he told me he'd got mine, and we figured out I'd messed up. I just didn't know where it had gone!" Joey closed his eyes and bowed his head a little. "I'm really, _really_ sorry for the mix up, Kaib'. Fuck, I almost wish it _had_ gone to my ma instead of you."

"...Why?"

At that, the blond blushed a deep crimson. "I can't say."

"Then I'm not compelled to believe you." Seto turned away from him at that.

"Kaib', wait!" His face now flaming, Joey forced himself to meet the furious gaze. "Will you give me a 'stay of execution'? Just trust me for now, and after dinner, I promise I'll explain everything? Please?"

The brunet stared impassively into the pleading eyes. In all the time he'd known Joey, the blond had never lied to him, and Seto believed that he didn't really have it in him to be all that deceptive. He nodded stiffly in response, not daring to hope that it really _had_ just been a misunderstanding. "All right, Wheeler. For now, I'll believe you. But if I find out you're screwing with me, I'll make you regret it for the rest of your life."


	5. Chapter Five

The meal progressed pleasantly enough. Seto was conversational, Joey was a good host, and Mokuba seemed relieved because his brother was no longer sulking. He could tell from the iciness he saw in the sapphire eyes that the brunet wasn't _good_ , but he was _better_ , and that was a start.

When they'd finished eating, Joey gave his guests a small smile and said, "As soon as we get this stuff cleaned up, we can have dessert and do presents. But, eh heh, I forgot to pick up some whipped cream. I'm just going to run to the store real quick, ok? Kaib', if you don't mind, can you give me a ride?"

Duke frowned. "I thought I saw some whipped cream in the fri-oof!" He was cut off by an elbow to the gut from Téa. "What'd you do that for?"

She smiled sweetly at him. "If Joey says he needs some, then he does." Her eyes narrowed a little and she hissed darkly, "Now drop it." She gave the blond a small nod of encouragement as she started to gather up the plates, and said, "We'll get started on this, ok? You cooked, Joey, so it's only fair that we help clean up."

"But, you guys are guests, and–"

"Ah, ah!" she chided as she waggled a finger at him. "We're also your friends. It's no trouble, really."

The fin-haired teen stood and stretched. "I could use a bit of air myself. Mind if I come with?"

Before Joey could reply, Téa pounced. "Tristan Taylor, you will not weasel yourself out of helping! Get your ass in the kitchen and pick up a dish towel! You can dry!"

Hazel eyes wide, the stocky brunet hurried into the kitchen, muttering lowly about bossy bitches. He turned sympathetic eyes to the blond, looking for a bailout as he'd 'helped' that afternoon, only to have them widen in surprise when he saw that Seto and Joey had already left.

The fair-haired teen didn't say anything as he followed the brunet outside, though he did look at him questioningly when the taller teen unlocked the door to his car and got in.

"If you don't at least come back with whipping cream, they're going to look at you funny," Seto said, and once the blond was in the car, he drove up the block to the variety store.

When Joey returned, he tossed the container in the back, and sighed heavily. "Guess my time's up, yeah?" he joked weakly, his smile quickly fading.

"My question from before still stands," the brunet said flatly. "Why?"

The shorter male took a deep breath. "I suppose you won't just take me at my word that it was an accident?" When he saw the other give him a sidelong glare, he nodded. "Yeah, I didn't think so." He exhaled slowly, and said, "Ok, here goes. The reason why I wouldn't do that is because I–" He closed his eyes and felt his cheeks burn. "I like you, Kaiba."

Seto arched a brow and turned to face the other. "You do?" he said wryly, a note of disbelief in his voice.

Joey nodded. "Mm hmm. And not just like you, but _like_ you. I mean, I've always thought you were hot, and uh–" He cut himself off and flushed again when he felt the other staring at him. "I used to think you were a total asshole, but I know you're not. And once I started to realize that, I...sort of started liking you in _that_ way, and not just as eye candy." He smiled a little. "I know you came to my dad's funeral, even if you didn't come and talk to me. I saw you for a quick second at the back of the chapel, and I know you were at the cemetery. None of dad's pals would bother with leaving flowers, and none of my friends are classy enough to leave a bouquet of lily-of-the-valley and orchids." Even though Seto wasn't looking at him, the slight pink he saw on the other's cheeks told him he'd been correct in guessing. "And then, at the church yesterday, Mrs. Creavey told me about the 'handsome young man' who gave her his seat, and she pointed you out." He chuckled softly. "When you called me on it last night, I guess I was just seeing you for who you really are, and not who you pretend to be." When a few moments passed, and the brunet didn't say anything, his smile faded a little, and he said, "So yeah, that's why I'm telling you I'm really sorry about the mix up, and I swear, it wasn't on purpose." He squeezed his eyes shut, and took another deep breath. "And, if I was being an ass like that, I wouldn't have gotten you this." He reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled out a small box. "Don't worry; I've got something else for you back at the apartment, but I didn't want you to open this in front of everyone." He smiled sheepishly. "Though, I admit, I've been scared shitless about giving it to you all day."

Seto looked curiously at the box. It was wrapped in silver foil with a silver bow on top. He opened it, his eyes widening in obvious pleasure when he saw the dragon pendant. "Nidhogg," he said after a moment, smiling a little at the confused look he earned in return. "That's its name. It's a Norse dragon."

"...Oh. I just thought it looked cool. Do you like it?"

Seto, who was in the process of slipping it over his neck, nodded. "Yes. Very much. Thank you." He was silent for a moment, and then he said, "After this afternoon, I almost didn't bring this with me." He pulled a small box out of his coat pocket and passed it over to the blond. "And like you, I have something else for you at your apartment, too."

Joey smiled shyly as he took the box, his fingers lightly tracing over the black paper and the red foil ribbon. With less restraint than the brunet had shown, he tore the paper off, and gasped softly when he saw what was inside. On a heavy titanium chain was a single dog tag streaked in red and black, with a small dragon silhouette laser cut in the bottom right corner. "This is really cool! How'd they paint it like that?"

"They didn't," Seto explained. "It's called Timascus. It's a combination of titanium alloys, and through heat and anodization, it winds up looking like that."

"Ah." He quickly slipped the chain over his neck and smiled at the other. Suddenly overcome by a bout of shyness, he said, "So...does this make us - _what_ does this make us, Kaib'?"

Seto took a deep breath and released it slowly. "I know what I'd like, but I suppose that depends on what you want it to be." Steeling himself against possible rejection, he leaned over a little and cupped one of Joey's cheeks in his hand. Letting his eyes fall closed, he closed the distance between them, pressing his lips to the other's in a gentle kiss. He felt the blond gasp and tense a little, and he was about to pull away, when the shorter teen relaxed against him and sighed softly. Encouraged, he gradually deepened the kiss, languorously exploring the heat of Joey's mouth with his tongue, his movements becoming hungrier and more sensual as he tried to convey without words how he felt about the blond. Finally, he pulled back, and as he leaned against his seat, he lightly ran his tongue over his lower lip.

Amber eyes were wide as Joey sat there, momentarily stunned. Finally, he raised trembling fingers to his lips, and then shifted his gaze to the brunet. "Fuck me but you can kiss, Kaib'!" He let out a soft chuckle, and then said, "And I think I'd like the same thing as you."

At that, Seto gave him a true, genuine smile, the sapphire lighting up in pleasure. "I'm glad to hear that. But there is one thing – if we're going to be together, you're going to have to call me by my first name...Joey."

The blond's eyes widened. "You called me that when I fell through the ice. I _thought_ I'd heard you say it!" He smiled softly a moment later. "Thanks though. Seto." Hesitantly, he reached out a hand and lightly ran his fingers through the soft chestnut tresses. "I hope we can talk a bit more tonight after everyone leaves." He chuckled again and blushed. "It's weird – I've been talking about this dinner for God knows how long, and now, I just want to spend some time with you."

The brunet laughed. "Enjoy your time with your friends. If you don't have any other plans, we can have our day tomorrow?"

"I'd like that! And no, I don't have plans."

"Good. Then we'll pick you up at eight-thirty. You can come with us to the orphanage to hand out presents to the children."

Joey grinned and nodded, and then he sighed. "We'd better get back. They're going to wonder what happened to us."

"Mm, true. But I think they can wait a little longer." With that, Seto slipped his arm around the blond's waist and drew him close to him, spending the next fifteen minutes showing him just how good he really did kiss.

* * *

Joey was in heaven. Panting and sweaty, he was nuzzled up against Seto's side, pressing soft kisses to his jaw after having one of the best orgasms of his life. He'd always suspected that the brunet possessed a lot of passion, but he hadn't realized he was also very tender and loving. Licking his lips, he reached behind him, finding his wine glass and taking another swallow of champagne.

It had been the best Christmas he could remember.

The Kaiba brothers had shown up a little before eight-thirty, and they'd spent the morning at the orphanage with the children. At noon, they'd returned to the Kaiba manor, had eaten a quick brunch of croissants, fruit salad, and quiche, and then had opened presents. Or rather, the two older males had opened a few things, and had then spent the rest of the afternoon watching Mokuba open his gifts. A spectacular turkey dinner had followed around six, and once they had finished eating, the younger sibling had disappeared to play with his new bounty while Seto and Joey had spent the better part of an hour getting each other progressively more hot and bothered. Finally, the brunet had all but dragged the blond to his bedroom, and for the past few hours, they'd been making love, cuddling, and talking as they got to know each other better and learn what each one liked.

Joey was pulled from his thoughts by a warm tongue on his ear, and he groaned loudly, his cock already starting to harden at his lover's touch. Turning to the brunet, he smiled rakishly and shifted his body so that he was straddling the other's hips. He could feel the rigid length against his ass, and he wiggled back a little to nestle it slightly between his cheeks.

Seto growled softly at the feel of his lover moving lithely against him, and after giving the blond's cock a cursory stroke and chuckling darkly at the wanton moan he got for his efforts, he grabbed a tube of vanilla lube off of the nightstand. Hissing lowly as he slicked his cock, he arched his hips a little, probing teasingly at Joey's opening, but not penetrating him.

The fair-haired teen gasped, only to pout petulantly down at the other when he was denied. The pout deepened when he saw the teasing glint in the lust-hazed sapphire, but he gave the brunet a sultry smile a moment later as he arched back, a husky groan escaping him as he sank down on the impressive length. Once he was fully seated, he licked his lips and began to rock slowly, letting out soft mewls and whimpers as he once again began to build toward his release.

Seto's eyes fell shut, his lips parting slightly as he felt the incredible heat of Joey's body surround him again, and he rested his hands on the other's hips, pushing him down as he arched up into him. After a few minutes, the brunet rolled them over so he was on top, and giving the blond a hungry, wanton kiss, he began to thrust hard and deep into the pliant body beneath him, angling just a little to nudge his sweet spot.

Joey cried out softly in pleasure, his sounds increasing in both frequency and volume as he grew closer to his release, until finally, he was wailing out the brunet's name as his orgasm tore through him. His whole body tensed, and throwing his head back against the pillow, he felt hot ribbons of his seed shoot up between them, starbursts seeming to explode just behind his eyelids.

When Seto felt that exquisite heat grow impossibly tight, his control slipped. With a feral roar of, "Mine!" he thrust in hard one last time and clung desperately to his lover as he pulsed his release deep inside the still spasming tunnel. As he came down from his high, he carefully slipped out of the blond's body, and reached once more for the damp facecloth he'd put on the floor. After cleansing them both, he moved the tube of lube back to the nightstand, and then spooned behind the shorter teen, tugging the blankets over them both as he nuzzled against the golden tresses. A moment later, he couldn't help the lewd smile that curved up the corners of his mouth. Bakura had been right – what _was_ a major celebration without copious amounts of sex? The psychotic spirit had given him the basket of lubes and oils as a gift the previous evening. Of course, at the time, Seto had been about ready to kill the tomb robber, and Ryou had looked as though he'd wished the couch would swallow him up, but in hindsight, it had been a well thought out gift. Actually, they all had been, and while Ryou had been overjoyed with what he'd received from Bakura, he'd been even more impressed when he'd heard that the spirit had actually shopped, wrapped, and bothered to learn about his favourite holiday. Seto's smile widened for a moment, and then he pressed a soft kiss to the top of Joey's head, letting his eyes fall closed as he listened to the sleepy, happy murmurs from the other.

Meanwhile, down in the kitchen, Mokuba was getting a drink out of the fridge. He was smart enough to know just what was going on upstairs, and he grinned a little, genuinely happy for his brother. As he was getting a cookie out of the tin, he caught sight of a piece of paper sticking out of one of the drawers. Curious, he pulled it out, and he arched a brow as he read his brother's handwriting:

_Dear Santa Claus,_

_I know it's been a long time, but I think it's about time I wrote to you again. I wonder if you'll still remember me? My name is Seto Kaiba. I know I haven't been all that good this year, but I'm trying to be better about things. I find myself doing random acts of kindness from time to time. Perhaps it's too little too late, but maybe it shows that I'm not completely hopeless._

_Anyway, if that's enough, and I've made it onto your 'nice' list, there is one thing I'd like for Christmas. I can't get it from a store, so I'm hoping you can help me. I'd really like a puppy – golden blond and friendly, with warm brown eyes. I think he'd make an ideal companion for me. And even though I don't always act like it, I promise I'll always take good care of him._

_Yours,_

_Seto_

Mokuba's expression softened as he folded the letter back up and returned it to the drawer. He teased his brother about a lot of things, but this – this was something he'd let the brunet keep for himself. He grabbed his snack and padded down the hallway to his own room, and as he turned on his television and stretched out on his bed, he couldn't help the one thought that entered his mind:

There really and truly _was_ a Santa Claus.


End file.
